Warriors Turn to Jordan Crawford to Add Scoring Punch to Bench

While everyone else were suspecting the Warriors would get a back-up point guard, they went out and got a pair of scoring guard to bolster the bench.

Hmmmmm. I wonder who said suggested that weeks ago?

In a three-team deal, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, brings Boston guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to Golden State. In exchange, the Warriors gave up guard Toney Douglas and part of the traded player exception they received in the Andre Iguodala deal. Douglas, who the Warriors signed in the offseason to help replace Jarrett Jack, lands on the bench of the Miami Heat.

Crawford gives Golden State much-needed scoring off the bench. A 6-4, 195-pound shooting guard, he is in his fourth year and arguably having his best offseason season as a pro. In 39 games with Boston, all but four as a starter, he’s averaging 13.7 points and 5.7 assists. His offensive rating is up to a career-best 108 points per 100 possessions.

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What matters most for the Warriors: Crawford, 25, is a natural scorer. Not incredibly efficient — he’s a career 40 percent shooter — but he has a reputation for being able to score in bunches. That is exactly what the Warriors need from him. Crawford will come off the bench and look to provide offensive punch to the lowest-scoring bench unit in the league. He’ll have the green light and getting buckets will be his priority. This role should be right in his wheel house. A player like Crawford is what the Warriors needed more than another point guard, which is what I wrote previously. (Haven’t confirmed whether the Warriors changed gears after I wrote or they just happen to be smart like me.)

This move had been brewing for weeks. The Warriors’ bench had been so bad, their inability to score cost multiple leads, this move had to be made. After flirting with Kirk Hinrich, Kyle Lowry and Andre Miller, the Warriors landed on a back-up for Klay Thompson instead of a back-up for Curry. Since Kent Bazemore has yet to develop as a reliable scorer at this level, it was clear a back-up for Thompson was the bigger need.

Crawford is not exactly a get-to-the-rim kind of player. He lives on a potent midrange jumper which, when he gets rolling, can be unstoppable. But he isn’t a guy whose going to get to the rim at will. For that reason, I had him behind the likes of Rodney Stuckey, Evan Turner and Jeremy Lin. But for $2.16 million, which is what Crawford makes this season, Crawford figures to fit nicely. Especially when you consider adding Crawford and Brooks still keeps the Warriors under the luxury tax threshold. And the Warriors didn’t have to sacrifice a future first-round pick.

Now, Crawford does take a lot of 3-pointers. more than a third of his shots, and only makes 31.8 percent. He’s most effective when he’s 16 feet and in, which is where 108 of his 188 made baskets have been. His free throw rate is not super high, but higher than Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. But his 3.2 free throw attempts per game ranks third on the team behind Curry and David Lee. And he’s a career 82.7 percent shooter from the line.

He’ll replace Douglas in the second unit. Bazemore, who ran point even when Douglas was on the floor, can stay in his same role as facilitator. With Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Marreese Speights, the Warriors’ second unit is much more balanced. Crawford takes the pressure off Barnes to score and there is still enough defense to cover for Crawford’s deficiencies as a defender. Crawford has never played meaningful minutes on a good team, so there is some question whether he can produce under the pressure. If his game can rise to the role, the Warriors may have pulled off another coup. If not, there is another month still until the trade deadline. Golden State still has a large chunk of its traded player exception left over.

In Brooks, the Warriors get an former surprising rookie with Brooklyn who has become a forgotten man. In 2011-12, he averaged 12.6 for the Nets as a rookie after being selected No. 25 overall in the 2011 draft. But the 6-5, 200-pound shooting guard out of Providence College has only played 10 games with Celtics this year and spent some time in the NBA Development League.

Marcus Thompson

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Good stuff – I always asked fellow Warriors who’s the backup at each position, and when it came to shooting guard, people would look puzzled and I’d be like “EXACTLY!” (Sure Bazemore comes in, but honestly – not really a sixth-man-quality SG or PG for this squad…)

And for anyone chirping about STILL needing a backup PG, Crawford WAS handling point for Boston and putting up the best assist #s of his career — serves two purposes more than people think…